Other sports are worth a mention this time of year

t's not even fall yet and already there's talk about next year's USC football team. That doesn't make any sense. USC is a football school, but the season doesn't even get underway for at least five months. There are several sports going on right now that are worthy of that attention.

For example, the USC rowing team takes on Brown and Rutgers this weekend on the East Coast. Brown has an excellent rowing program and competing against the Bears will be a measuring stick for the Women of Troy as to how much farther they need to go to be No. 1.

Then there's the No. 4 USC women's water polo team, which is getting ready for the NCAA Regionals held at McDonalds Swim Stadium in a couple of weeks. The Women of Troy will try to defend their 1999 national championship. Can they repeat? That question will be answered in the pool.

While the Regionals aren't happening for a while and the crew competition is across the country, an influential event is happening right on campus on Saturday.

The No. 2 USC men's volleyball is competing against No. 1 Long Beach State at 7 p.m. at the North Gym in the last match of the regular season.

The Trojans have already clinched a playoff spot in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Pacific Division tournament held on April 22. But the match against the 49ers is still huge because USC will be vying for home court advantage for the tournament.

If USC wins and Pepperdine loses its match to Loyola Marymount on Saturday, then the Trojans will host a post-season match.

Throughout the season, USC has proven that it can compete with the best, except for that embarrassing loss to Cal Baptist, the then-No. 1 team in the NAIA earlier in the season. But the Trojans did play without Brook Billings and Eli Fairfield.

With those two important players back in action, the Trojans are unstoppable.

That was proven when they beat Loyola Marymount, 3-1, Wednesday night. Game one was easy for the Lions but for the following three games, it was suspenseful and the Trojans, poised and determined, pulled out the victory.

Because of the maturity USC has shown over the course of the season, it has a great chance of beating Long Beach State on Saturday and of winning the MPSF tournament.

After the tournament is the NCAA Championships, held in early May. USC hasn't been to the Final Four since 1991 and nothing would be a better reward for surviving finals and for the team's hard work than a NCAA title.

Now, when was the last time you heard all this post-season action about the football team?

Ying Le can be reached at (213) 740-5671 or e-mailed at yingaling@hotmail.com.

Copyright 2000 by the Daily Trojan. All rights reserved.
This article was published in Vol. 139, No. 58 (Friday, April 14, 2000), beginning on page 16 and ending on page 14.